Candy-making machine



Sept. 8',

B. STIMSON CANDY MAKING MACHINE Filed Deb. 6, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 35 .i rmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnlimula l.; uIIN.-

lNvENToR ATTORNEY Sept. s, 1925. 1,552,570

B. STIMSON CANDY MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 6. ,1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENToR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES BOUDINOT STIMSON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

CANDY-MAKING MACHINE.

Application led December 6, 1923. Serial No. 678,838.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BounrNoT S'rIMsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Candy-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification'.

This invention relates to improvements in confectioners machines and particularly to such as are used in the manufacture of that variety of confection known as nut bars.

`'Such machine includes a receptacle in which the melted ingredients of the confection are mixed with other articles, such as fruits, shredded cocoanut, shelled nuts and like elements, forming a plastic mass, hot, tenacious and adherent, which must be cooled, levelled and cut into bars preparatory to wrapping in waxed paper ready for distribution.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which will perform all of the several operations above indicated in sequence in a rapid and economical manner, dispensing with hand work and its consequent unsanitary features.

Another purpose is to produce a machine of comprehensive character that is compact, occupies a limited floor space and consumes only a moderate amount of power.

In addition to these general aims and objects, others of more detailed nature will appear as the description progresses, the same being accomplished bythe novel design, construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention complete.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same, the feed supplying device being omitted.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a similar sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective and sectional view of the belt carrier.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 15 vdesignates in general a rigid horizontal frame comprised of a pair of side elements united together and supported by legs 16 and 16 near-the ends.

Extending outwardly from the frame ends are bearings in which are mounted rotatable shafts 17 and 17 each having pairs of sprockets 18 and 18 over which are trained chains 19, having between them an endless conveyor belt 20, preferably made of thin, flexible sheet metal, presenting a smooth level unbroken upper surface.

Attached to the edges of this conveyor are a plurality of relatively short upstanding plates 21, arranged in overlapping relation, constituting substantially continuous side barriers, raised to a uniform height and, due to being attached at the centers vof their ianged outstanding bases 22, the barriers present no difficulty in passing over the sprockets 18.

A motor 23 drives a belt 24 trained over a pulley 25 fixed' on a shaft 26 mounted transversely of the frame in bearings 27,

ysaid shaft having fixed on it sprockets 28 driving chains 29 trained over other sprockets 30 fixed on a shaft 31 mounted in brackets 32 on the forward legs 16.

A pair of cams 33 secured to the shaft 31 actuate levers 34, pivoted at 35 on the legs 16, the upper ends of the levers being pivotally connected at 36 with spring pressed pawls or dogs 37 engaging the chains 19 in such mannen as to transmit intermittent forward motion to them and consequently to the conveyor 20.

Mounted above the conveyor, by any convenient means, is a hopper 40 into which the candy mass is received in a hot, plastic condition.

Attached to the bottom of the hopper 40 is a cylindrical chute 41 directed diagonally downward and terminating in a flattened and widened spout 42 disposed over the rear of the conveyor, the spout or discharge element being nearly the full width of the conveyor and controlled by an adjustable shutter or damper 43.

Fixed on the upper surface of the spout 42 is a bearing 44 and a corresponding bearing 45 is likewise attached to the outer sur-l face of the hopper 40.

Mounted in these vbearings 44 and 45 is a shaft 46, axially of the chute and fixed on the shaft is a helical conveyor 47, adapted,

48, meshing with a matinggear4Qfinedon a shaft 50, mounted in bearings (not shown) adjacent the hopper and is driven-by a' sprocket 51 over which is trained a chain F 52 engaged by a driving-'sprecket-53 iir'edon the motor driven shaft 26.

Thehot candymass'is delivered upon the conveyor 20', between its raised'articulated s'ides'f21, passes below a series of rollers, re-

sp'ective'ly 60, 61 and 62, of` uniform di am'eter' 'but adj'ustably vheld at different heightsy above 'the platform in bearings 63 iXedon theframe 15.

As the imass passes under the first and highest vrol'ljer it i's levelled and spread over the conveyor, .this operation being repeated bjr'tl-e.other` rollers progressively until the requisite thickness has been-attained.

' These' rofl-'lersare driven intermittently 'by a sprocket 64C on the first roller 60gengaging one 4of the' conveyor chains 19' and areA provided atftheirends with a' gear train 65 arranged-'to communicate rotary motionl from the first' roller -to the Vothers so that' 'they operate in the same peripheral direction.

' AnotherV pair of bearings 7 0 fixed on the frame 15 have mounted in bthem` a shaft' 71 carrying a rplurality' of discV cutters`72 hav- 'ing spacers`73 intervening, these cutters de- 'terminii'ig the width of the -iinished product,

severing 'the sheet mass as passes.

Thesha-ft 71 is drivenv by a sprocket 74 over which is trained Ya chain 75 engaged with' a'l sprocket 76f`on a shaftr77, in turn having a'sprocket 78 driven by' a 'chain 79 Atrained kover the sprocket 80 fixed on the Shaft 2e'. y

.In order to cut the product to'length, a set o'fthree thin knives-'90, 91 and 92, arranged at different relative heights, Vthe lat- 'teribein'g thelowermost, are fixed in a holder 933 arranged transversely' above the conveyor.

The holder vis slidably 'mounted'in guides 94 formed in the forward ends ofV levers 95 pivotjed-` at 96 in' brackets 97 secured on the frame 1'51 Said levers contain openings' 98 `iii-which operate cams 99'`1Xed on Athe shaft 77,1the

arrangement being' such 'that the cutter r"bladesvare raised duringy the forward movement ofthe conveyor and pressed into the mass during its momentary cessation'of 'movement-,eachofthe'blades doi-ng' its proportionate cutting.

Inorde'r'to-assist' in 'the cutting of the material, the knives as held-Yinjthelholder 93 are given an oscillating movement at properly timed intervals.- Y

This is accomplished by securing to one end of the holder 93 a bracket 100 having a spindle 101, engaged by a universal joint 102 therein, said sp-indle being angularly turned at its end and provided with a roller 103r operating in the groove-.of a cam 104.

Said cam is fixed on a shaft 105 mounted in--a bracketl 106 on-v the frame 15 and driven 'trained over va sprocket 109 fixed on a spindle 77, said spindle being driven by sprocket 7 8, chainI 739 and-sprocket fixed on the shaft 26.

In order to coolv the mass ofmaterial, theV chute il.V may be enveloped 4inea water jacket 120 and Ato-furthier cool the mass after disposal on the conveyor there is vdisposed, below 'the same, 'between thei frame elements, continuous chambers 121 into which a jet of air 'orf current of cold water is entered, the Yupper wall of` the chamber being ini cl'ose proximity with the conveyor 20. v

'It is Lto be noticed that chains and sprockets are used throughout so that-all motions are positiveand accurately timed and, as shown in Fig. 1, the finished product is delivered directly insuch'shapes' as may be desiredto another conveyor leading to wrapping andi packingl devices as will be understood. l Y.

rllhe foregoing disclosure iste-be regarded as descriptive and lillustrative only,` and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention,

Vvplastic candy massupon saidconveyor, said -conveyor havingr` raisededge elements, sprocket chains at the` edges of the con-v veyor, a plurality of rollers arranged at fvari-a'ble distances transversely above said conveyor, said rollersprogressively decreasing in distance from the first tolast, means associated with said rollers by which rotary motionV is communicated to them from said chains, means for slitting the mass into bars, and means for cutting the bars into' uniform 2. A candy making mach-ine comprisinga iframe lhaving awlevel-bed, an endlessI conveyor movable over said bed,-means for delivering-the candy massY on said conveyor, means for progressively reducingthe mass 'teva deiinite Vu'niforin thickness, mean-s for slicing: vthe massfinto 'strips of .uniform width, reciprocating knives Y arrangeditransversely over said conveyor at varying distances therefrom, a plurality of means for raising and lowering said reciprocating knives, and means for intermittently advancing said conveyor when said transverse knives are raised.

3. A candy making machine comprising a frame having a level bed, an endless conveyor movable oversai-d bed, means for delivering the candy mass on said conveyor, means for reducing the mass to a definite uniform thickness, means for slicing the mass into strips of uniform Width, a series of knife blades slidably mounted transversely over the conveyor, means for reciprocating the knives, means for intermittently actuating said conveyor, and means operative during cessation of motion of the conveyor to force said knives into the strips.

4;. A candy making machine comprising a 20 frame, a conveyor operable thereover, a receptacle for the candy mass supported over said frame, a chute leading from the receptacle to sai-d conveyor, means in said chute for forcing the mass therethrough, means for dispensing the mass in an adjustable stream upon said conveyor, means for partially cooling the mass in its passage through the chute, means for progressively cooling the mass in its passage on said conveyor, means for levelling the mass to a predetermined thickness, means for slitting the mass on said conveyor into strips, and means for cutting the strips into bars of predetermined length, all of said means being synchronized and power driven from a single source.

This specication signed and witnessed this thirtieth day of November, 1923.

BOUDINOT STIMSON. 

